Chamber and committees

Putting that slightly pejorative language aside—it is a very nice suit jacket, though—can you see the benefit in opening up the process? We talk about the value of supporters and trust in the SFA. Opening up that process to make it more democratic could be beneficial for the game.

Good morning, Ian, and thanks for being with us. I want to ask you about fan representation and voice, and then accessibility of matches.

Gate receipts represent 43 per cent of total football income in Scotland. My understanding is that that is quite unusual among the UEFA countries—it is the highest.

The Scottish Football Alliance believes that the representation of supporters’ voices and fans in decision making does not reflect how crucial supporters are to the survival of our game. Would the SFA be open to including a fan representative on the board?

I acknowledge that there are wider issues involved, but what can the SFA do to help to ensure that our national team sport is free to view? I can afford to go to football games. Not everyone can. We talk about the benefits of sport. Everyone around this table absolutely understands those. They include watching and being part of sport. What can the SFA do to help to ensure that football is accessible and free, particularly to young boys and girls who want to watch their national team?

My question is about multidisciplinary team work. It would be helpful for the committee to understand how well multi—it is a very hard word to say this early in the morning—multidisciplinary team working is being implemented. Do you have examples of where that has worked well, or of where there have been challenges, that would help our understanding? Laura Wilson, you are nodding, so I will come to you first.

That is interesting, but we might be thinking about different things. I am thinking about the land that some health boards have and which is not being used. Are there solutions for how boards might dispense with it—and not necessarily for the type of health accommodation that you have described? You have given us an image of some hostel-type thing that might not be attractive to permanent workers. Just to be clear, you are saying that you did not have that kind of whole-system housing and that childcare was not mentioned in your conversations with the board.

That is not how democracy works. Everyone gets a vote and they decide who will represent them. There is no test.

I do not think that the point is necessarily that fans want to run the SFA; it is maybe that they want more accountability and a say in who the executive is. Could you see the benefit of that?

Given Viaplay’s recent announcement that it is going to end its involvement in UK sport coverage in early 2024, how realistic is it to expect that the SFA will take the opportunity to make future television coverage of the men’s national team free to air?

Iain Kennedy do you have anything to add?